Emma Farquhar

This jazz version of the Swan Lake theme was inspired by slow jazz ballads which incorporate simple instrumentation for solos, such as “Misty” by Errol Garner. I began the melody with a trumpet since this would create a contrast with the original, string instrumentation. The other instruments added were a double bass, drum set and piano to create a small jazz group with a calm vibe. I added many ornaments and improvisational elements to the melody. For the percussion, I used a simple combination of bass drum and cymbals. I changed the percussion instruments when the melody switched from trumpet to piano to better suit the individual feeling of the instruments. I decided to place my drum fills when the melody switched from one phrase to another, in a natural pause in the music. This experimentation was my favourite since I believe I accurately portrayed the jazz style I was trying to capture.

I chose to transform Swan Lake into a brass arrangement since I thought that this would create an interesting contrast to the original instrumentation, and I would be able to compose parts for instruments that I was unfamiliar with. I augmented the melody to create a grand and dramatic sound and added a dramatic timpani line with a long tremolo to build anticipation and to increase the tension. Once the main melody began again, I increased the grandeur of the piece by adding an ascending line for the horn, and decorations on the melody for the Wagner tuba. The crescendo also includes trumpet for the first time in the piece which builds the lushness of the piece and increases the triumphant and dramatic feel. For the ending of the piece, I decided to add harmony and polyphonic elements in the horn, trumpet and second trombone. The last bars are a resolution to the B minor chord which recalls the beginning of the piece which had lush chords spread out over the six instruments. 

"Bella Ciao" is an Italian folk song which was used to fight against fascism during the 19th century and second world war. The bouncy simple broken chord accompaniment is typical of Italian folk dances such as the Tarantella. The strong sense of beat and simple, repeated melody makes this piece ideal as a protest song.  

"Prelude in C Minor" by Charles Gounod is a Romantic piece which employs many dynamic changes in waves of crescendos and decrescendos. There are three lines of music which serve different roles. The left hand plays first and establishes the bass line. The right hand begins the melody and finally, the right hand adds a second line which is an accompaniment and must overtake neither the melody or the bass line. This piece was created to simply express feelings through music and entertain the listener.

Bach originally wrote "Prelude in C Minor BWV 999" for the lute and therefore my approach to playing this piece heavily changed based on this note. When playing this piece, the quick, arpeggiated chords stand out as the melody, however, for a lute, it is more likely that the left hand simple arpeggiated chords are the focus, and the right hand is an accompaniment used to build the intensity of the piece. Some other points of importance for this piece was respecting the time period in which it was written and the style of music. This piece was written in the Baroque era which had extremely precise timing, and due to limitations of the instruments, had limited dynamics. 

"Swedish Garden" by Brice Divoli is featured in the TV show Skam France. The blocked chords in the beginning create the simple atmosphere which changes to a repeated melodic idea in the left hand with blocked chords still in the left hand. Slight variations on the melodic idea create variety and build emotional intensity which comes to a climax and resolves at the end where blocked chords return.